Andre Iguodala sure to be center of attention versus Denver Nuggets

DENVER -- Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala, who helped the Denver Nuggets to a franchise-record 57 wins last season, is not sure what he'll hear from the fans at the Pepsi Center Monday night.

"I really don't know what to expect," he said after the Monday morning shootaround.

Ex-Nuggets coach George Karl made things complicated for Iguodala by saying last month that Iguodala was "absolutely" a mole for the Warriors in the teams' first-round playoff series last spring.

Karl, now with ESPN, alleged that Iguodala shared inside information with Warriors coach Mark Jackson pertaining to Denver's intentions to get extra-physical with guard Stephen Curry. The fact that Iguodala spurned the Nuggets and signed a $48 million contract with the Warriors in July added to the off-court intrigue.

For the record, Iguodala denied being a mole for the Warriors on Monday morning.

He's trying to put the whole controversy behind him, but found himself in the eye of a Denver media swarm on Monday.

"It's kind of like out of sight, out of mind," Iguodala said of Karl's controversial comments. "In a different place now, so I'm really focused on our team. Really kind of lost about it. Not sure what it means. I felt I played really well in the playoffs last year. Kind of just focused on what we've got going on. Trying not to let anything outside of my situation alter my goals."

He reiterated that he wasn't surprised by Karl's comments.

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"Not really," Iguodala said. "We're kind of in this new media age where there's all sorts of types of information floating around, so you never know what you're going to hear."

Iguodala helped the Nuggets to a 38-3 home mark last season. He added that the new media age can alter fans' perspectives.

"Then it's really tough to celebrate something as well, because it's always, 'What's next? What's next? What's next?' They're looking for their team to get to the next level as well as I am," Iguodala said.

With the Nuggets struggling to find consistency under new coach Brian Shaw, a Bay Area native, Denver fans could see the component they're missing in Iguodala, who's still rounding into top form after suffering a strained hamstring. He averaged 18.0 points for the Nuggets in the playoff series against the Warriors. The series-clinching loss was his last game with Denver.

Iguodala said he felt appreciated in Denver.

"I think so," he said. "We did a lot of good things. We were a good team. It usually takes awhile for me to get set in my comfort level, but I still feel like we built something good and we weren't together for that long. We were able to accomplish something that's never been done before."